German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved and set new elections for February 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, saying it was the only way to give the country a stable government capable of tackling its problems.

Scholz lost a confidence vote on December 16 and leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalition collapsed on November 6 when he fired his finance minister in a dispute over how to revitalise Germany's stagnant economy.

Steinmeier said he made the decision because it was clear after consultation with party leaders that there was no agreement among Germany's political parties on a majority for a new government in the current parliament.

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"It is precisely in difficult times like these that stability requires a government capable of taking action and a reliable majority in parliament," he said as he made the announcement in Berlin.

"Therefore I am convinced that for the good of our country new elections are the right way."

Since the post-World War II constitution doesn't allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself, it was up to Steinmeier to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election. He had 21 days to make that decision.

Once parliament is dissolved, the election must be held within 60 days. Leaders of several major parties agreed earlier on the election date of February 23, seven months earlier than originally planned.

Steinmeier warned about outside interference in the poll, saying it is "a danger to democracy, whether it is covert, as was evidently the case recently in the Romanian elections, or open and blatant, as is currently being practiced particularly intensively on platform X."

A top Romanian court annulled the first round of the country's presidential election, days after allegations emerged that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round.

The campaign is already well underway. Polls show Scholz's party trailling the conservative opposition Union bloc led by Friedrich Merz.

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the environmentalist Greens, the remaining partner in Scholz's government, is also bidding for the top job — though his party is further back.

If recent polls hold up, the likely next government would be led by Merz as chancellor in coalition with at least one other party.

Key issues include immigration, how to get the sluggish economy going, and how best to aid Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.

The populist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is polling strongly, has nominated Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor but has no chance of taking the job because other parties refuse to work with it.

Germany's electoral system traditionally produces coalitions, and polls show no party anywhere near an absolute majority on its own. The election is expected to be followed by weeks of negotiations to form a new government.

It's only the fourth time that the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule under Germany's post-World War II constitution.

It happened under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1972, Helmut Kohl in 1982 and Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. Schroeder used the confidence vote to engineer an early election narrowly won by center-right challenger Angela Merkel.

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A Melbourne woman who was allegedly killed by her husband hours after they hosted a Christmas Day function has been identified as Yvonne Beres.

Emergency services responded to reports the 59-year-old was allegedly stabbed at a home at Wood Duck Court in Langwarrin yesterday at about 6.30am.

Police said the woman was declared dead at the scene.

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John Beres, 63, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court last night charged with her murder.

Neighbours have paid tribute to Yvonne and described the 59-year-old as "loving and friendly".

Her husband will face court again in April.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

An Australian mother has revealed how she and her young son survived a freak accident on Christmas Day in New York.

The woman and nine-year-old boy were in the US city for a holiday when they were struck by a taxi a block away from the landmark Macy's department store.

Good Samaritans saved the pair who were under the cab after the 58-year-old driver suffered a medical episode and ploughed onto the footpath on Boxing Day (AEDT).

READ MORE: Speculation mounts about cause of Azerbaijan plane crash

"It hit us from behind, it hit us from behind," the mother, who was not identified, told US media.

"I didn't even know what had happened. I just remember being on the ground and something on top of me.

"I could hear the wheels screeching and my son screaming next to me."

The woman's son suffered a broken leg and has undergone two rounds of surgery.

"He's got severe burns on his leg as well, he's going to be in hospital for quite some time," the mother said.

READ MORE: Speculation mounts about cause of Azerbaijan plane crash

The mother and son were among six people injured in the incident.

Ryan Tucker, whose wife was struck on the shoulder by the cab, said after he checked his wife was OK, he went to help the young boy.

"He was trapped under the tyre, and when we moved the car back, [we] realised that what ended up being his mum was underneath the car," Tucker told CBS News.

"She was coherent, she was talking to her son, smiling, trying to help keep him calm."

Video shared on social media shows a group of people rocking the taxi back to free the mother and son.

Tucker said the boy, who was hospitalised with an injury to his thigh, told him it was the worst holiday ever.

Two others were also transported to hospitals for their injuries, all in a stable condition, including a 41-year-old woman who reportedly suffered a head injury and a 49-year-old woman who reportedly suffered a leg injury.

Three others, reportedly aged 19, 37 and 49, refused medical attention.

A New York Police Department spokesperson said the 58-year-old taxi driver may have suffered a medical episode, but the investigation had yet to confirm that as the cause.

The taxi jumped the curb near Macy's flagship store at Herald Square about 4pm on Wednesday (8am Thursday AEDT) and hit the pedestrians on the footpath, police said, adding that the driver remained at the scene.

Video footage from the scene showed a damaged yellow taxi on the sidewalk cordoned off by police tape. The car's front bumper appeared to have fallen off.

The taxi was towed away later in the evening.

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Aviation experts say an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan most likely went down after being hit by Russian air defence systems.

Here are some things to know about the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board.

How did the plane crash?

Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren't yet fully clear.

It crashed while trying to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east across the Caspian Sea.

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The plane went down near the coast about three kilometres from Aktau.

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball.

Rescuers rushed 29 survivors to hospitals.

How did Azerbaijan react?

Azerbaijan observed a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday.

National flags were at half-mast, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and sirens were sounded from ships and trains.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.

What do officials and experts say about a possible cause?

Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani and Russian authorities say they are investigating the crash.

Embraer told The Associated Press in a statement that the company is "ready to assist all relevant authorities".

Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.

While officials remained tight-lipped, an Azerbaijani lawmaker directly pointed the finger at Russia.

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Rasim Musabekov told the Azerbaijani news agency Turan that the plane was fired upon in the skies over Grozny and urged Russia to offer an official apology.

Some aviation experts say the holes seen in the plane's tail section after the crash indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defence systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.

Mark Zee of OPSGroup, which monitors the world's airspace and airports for risks, said that the analysis of the fragments of the crashed plane indicate with a 90-99 per cent probability that it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

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Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the "Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defence system".

Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defence systems in Russia since the full-scale war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

FlightRadar24 said in an online post that the aircraft had faced "strong GPS jamming" that interfered with flight tracking data allowing to monitor planes' flight path.

Russia has extensively used sophisticated jamming equipment to fend off drone attacks.

A day later, no definitive word

Yan Matveyev, an independent Russian military expert, noted that the images of the crashed plane's tail show damage compatible with shrapnel from the Russian Pantsyr-S1 air defence system.

It's unclear why the pilots decided to fly hundreds of kilometres east across the Caspian Sea instead of trying to land in Russia after the plane was hit, he said, adding that they probably faced restrictions on landing at a closer venue and may have thought that the damage was not critical.

In Azerbaijan, Caliber online newspaper also claimed that the airliner was fired upon by a Russian Pantsyr-S air defence system and also had its systems affected by jamming equipment as it was approaching Grozny.

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The paper questioned why Russian authorities failed to close the airport despite the drone attack in the area on Wednesday, and why they didn't allow the plane to land in Grozny or other Russian airports nearby after it was hit.

Asked about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defence assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that "it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict".

Officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.

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A southerly buster is moving along parts of the NSW coast, bringing relief for heat-affected residents.

The heat which affected South Australia, Victoria and western parts of NSW yesterday swept into Sydney and eastern parts of NSW today.

Greater Sydney and surrounding areas were under a total fire ban as more than 30 bushfires and grassfires were burning this afternoon.

READ MORE: Sailor killed in Sydney to Hobart tragedy identified

Seven of these were uncontained and may have been ignited by lightning strikes.

Sydney Airport hit 38.8 degrees by 2.30pm, with Bankstown, Camden and Penrith all nudging past 37.

Greater Sydney, the Greater Hunter and north-western NSW were all under extreme fire danger today.

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A cool change has since moved into the NSW south coast, including Wollongong, this afternoon.

There is a risk of thunderstorms parts of Sydney, Wollongong and the Hunter before a drop in temperatures, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The storm caused some damage around Sydney, including to restaurant Brazilian Flame in Zetland.

"In Sydney, we'll see that cool change push through between 5pm and 6pm," senior Meteorologist Jonathan How said earlier this afternoon.

"In Newcastle and the Hunter, (it will hit) by about 9pm."

"The temperature will drop back quite significantly through the day.

"Thankfully it will be just that one hot day today, with much cooler conditions coming through tonight.

A cool change came through yesterday for Victoria and South Australia, with both states still fighting bushfires.

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The two men who died in separate accidents during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race overnight have been identified as experienced sailors.

South Australian man Nick Smith, 65, was on board Bowline and competing in his fifth Sydney to Hobart when he was killed.

While it was previously reported by NSW Police and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) that Smith had been struck by a boom, it is now believed the crew member struck his head after being hit by the mainsheet.

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"I've had the pleasure of racing with Nick previously on other vessels, and he was a great, down-to-earth sailor, a very experienced offshore sailor," Owen Haskett, rear commodore of the Royal South Australian Yacht Quadron, said.

"We extend our condolences to Nick's family, friends and crew at Bowline at this tragic time."

The second sailor has been identified as Western Australian man Roy Quaden, 55.

Quaden was an experienced sailor with more than 20 years on the water under his belt and was the navigator on board the Flying Fish Arctos during the race.

The CYCA confirmed his identity in a statement released this afternoon.

"It is understood he was struck by the yacht's boom during an incident which occurred overnight approximately 30 nautical miles east/south-east of Ulladulla, NSW," the statement read.

"Fellow crew members performed CPR, but they could not revive him."

Police said this morning that the men may have both been struck by a boom while changing sail when they suffered their fatal injuries.

However, this afternoon, the CYCA's vice commodore David Jacobs said he believed Smith was hit by the mainsheet of the yacht.

"We thought that he had been hit by the boom, as had Roy, and we've now learned that that wasn't the case," he said.

"He was hit by the mainsheet, and the mainsheet threw him across the boat, and unfortunately he hit his head on the winch, and that's what killed him."

Just before midnight, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a mayday call from Flying Fish Arctos after a 55-year-old male crew member from Western Australia was struck on the back of the head with a boom, NSW Police Superintendent Joe McNulty said.

His fellow crew performed CPR but he was unable to be revived.

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At about 2.30am, a second mayday call came from Bowline, where Smith had suffered a similar injury.

He also received CPR, but died.

McNulty said both vessels were now in port and had been seized as evidence, with crime scene investigators on board and police conducting interviews.

Crew members have been offered counselling.

Sailing community shattered

Jacobs said his thoughts were with the families and loved ones of those who died, as well as "the whole of the sailing community".

"It's a very close community," he said.

"Every member of that community, every person in that race, will be feeling this acutely."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also issued his condolences.

"We have sadly awoken to tragedy in the Sydney to Hobart with the awful news two sailors have lost their lives," he said.

"Our thoughts are with the crews, their families and loved ones at this deeply sad time."

READ MORE: Joe lost his 'joyful' son in the 2004 tsunami. Then he fought for victims

Jacobs confirmed there would be an investigation into the incident.

"We always want to improve safety wherever we can, so we will do an investigation and if there is something that boats can do to prevent this happening, we will implement it," he said.

He denied that the race should have been cancelled, saying the forecast weather had not been "extreme".

"These fleets can handle those winds easily," he said.

"They are ocean racers, they are used to the winds and they are not extreme conditions."

McNulty confirmed conditions overnight had not been dangerous, but warned of a "challenging night" ahead.

He said police and rescue vessels would be on alert and ready to help as the fleet headed into the Bass Strait.

Man rescued after going overboard

Jacobs said another tragedy had been averted overnight after a crew member of Porco Rosso fell overboard in a "terrifying" incident.

"That person was swept about 1.2 nautical miles from the boat, but all of the safety procedures clicked into place," he said.

"His PLB, his personal location beacon was activated," he said.

READ MORE: Kimina's island escape landed her in the worst tsunami in history

"AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) contacted our race control, AMSA dispatched a plane to search for it.

"Boats were diverted to help find the person and the boat, actually he fell off, was able to retrieve him.

"So it was a good outcome. And he's fine and healthy."

Police identified the man as 37-year-old Luke Williams.

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With one-quarter of the 21st century just about wrapped up, it's time to take a look ahead at how the weather will play out on New Year's Eve as we ring in 2025.

At this stage, Sydney and Brisbane will likely be hot, humid and rainy, while Melbourne and Adelaide will get some clearer skies.

Here's a state-by-state guide to how the weather is looking on December 31.

READ MORE: Police reveal the moments before Sydney to Hobart tragedy

Brisbane, Queensland

Brisbane is heading for a hot, humid New Year's Eve with thunderstorms and rain in the evening.

They should have a top of 31 degrees.

The weather is likely to be cloudy, with 87 per cent humidity.

Sydney, New South Wales

Classic New Year's Eve weather is on the horizon for Sydney, with hot, humid conditions forecast and a risk of showers in the afternoon.

At this stage Sydney is set for a top of 27 and low of 21 degrees, and a muggy 63 per cent humidity.

A couple of afternoon showers could come down but they will hopefully clear up before the fireworks in the evening.

Melbourne, Victoria

Melbourne is predicted to be warm and breezy but clear on New Year's Eve this year.

Tuesday could hit a top of 24 degrees and a low of 13.

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Canberra is also set for a warm humid New Year's Eve.

While no rain is predicted as yet, there is a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The nation's capital will have a top of 30 and low of 19, along with 65 per cent humidity.

Adelaide, South Australia

Sunny, warm and clear conditions should help Adelaide ring in the new year in great spirits.

Adelaide is forecast to have a top of 29 degrees.

Perth, Western Australia

Western Australia will have hot and breezy conditions on New Year's Eve, with a top of 33 degrees.

Temperatures will stay in the high 30s for the first few days of 2025.

Hobart, Tasmania

Hobart is likely to be sunny and pleasant on New Year's Eve.

Currently, it is forecast to have a top of 22 and a low of 10 degrees.

Darwin, Northern Territory

Late thunderstorms could also wash out Darwin's celebrations this New Year's Eve.

Darwin is forecast to have a top of 33 degrees and moderate humidity.

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The best places to buy a lottery ticket last year have been revealed.

Exclusive: Two decades have marched by since Joe Giardina lost his 'joyful' and 'loving' son Paul but his memory burns brighter than ever.

Joe, his wife Evanna and their 16-year-old son Paul were on holiday in Phuket, Thailand when the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami struck, killing 227,898 people.

Paul was one of them. He was swept away in the wave while Joe, who tried to save his son, survived a near-drowning in an incredible stroke of luck.

Joe, who lives in Melbourne with his wife Evanna, told 9news.com.au the past 20 years have been tough but he knows Paul managed to fit a lifetime of love in his short time on earth.

"Every parent's nightmare is to lose a child, mine was even worse in the sense that I wasn't able to hold onto him… I lost him," Joe said.

"I felt that I'd let him down. But I also knew there was nothing I could have done, it was outside of my control."

The Giardinas were having breakfast at their hotel in Phuket when the tsunami came.

The force of the water dragged Joe into a stairwell on the third floor of the hotel, while Paul was ripped away from his father.

While Joe avoided drowning and survived with some broken bones, Paul's body was found three days later.

For a long time, this haunted Joe. 

Now 20 years after the tsunami, he said time has healed a lot of those wounds.

"We also have to acknowledge that it's not just us. There's 26 Australians in total, so 25 other Australians that lost their lives, and 230,000 worldwide," he said.

This is why Joe wanted to have a permanent tribute to those who died in the disaster.

He was pivotal in lobbying the Australian government to create a memorial in 2015 in Canberra, which remembers Paul among thousands of others.

Every parent's nightmare is to lose a child, mine was even worse in the sense that I wasn't able to hold onto him… I lost him.

Joe also visited Canberra in November to mark the milestone this Boxing Day.

"It was part of the healing process, not just for me but all the Australian families," Joe said.

"It's difficult to believe that it's been 20 years, it feels like maybe 10 or 12 years, it's still really vivid."

Joe has visited Thailand again too and reclaimed his memories of the beautiful South-East Asian country after the nightmare he endured.

He's also had a long time to think about the word 'survivor' and what it means to have lived, while his son didn't.

"It's a word of joy, because I survived a near-death experience," Joe added.

"I have come to terms with the challenges that life presents, it's reality. 

"I don't feel anger, it's the journey. We would obviously prefer not to have taken this journey, but it's the reality of life."

The years may have flown by but Paul will forever be 16.

Little things spark memories of Paul all the time and Joe loves it when the universe offers him a little reminder of his son.

"He would have been 16, there's sadness in the fact we never got to see that side of Paul," Joe said.

"Paul was just love. In photos of Paul, there's always a smile or cheeky grin on his face. That was Paul, the Paul we knew, we loved and continue to love, we were blessed.

"It was 16 short years, 16 amazing years."

Exclusive: Australian journalist Kimina Lyall worked a demanding job as a South-East Asian correspondent in Thailand and found an escape on the tiny island of Ko Phra Thong, the "Golden Buddha Island".

It was a relatively normal morning for her on December 26, 2004.

The then-38-year-old had filed an article and was at a resort meeting with her partner when a loud sound blasted around them.

READ MORE: Prayers and tears mark 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people

"I thought it was a plane crash, a plane had crashed into the water," she told 9news.com.au.

"We ran up to the beach and then there was this really big wave that had come all the way to the top of the beach and then just sort of washed out."

They laughed it off but Lyall's gaze went to the horizon, where another wave was breaking.

"We just all watched it get closer and closer and closer and most people were transfixed," she said.

"There was one person who had lived in Japan and she knew what it was. She was running up and down the beach yelling 'run, run, run, everybody run'."

What was quietly approaching was one of several tsunamis caused by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Lyall's gut instinct took her to the top of a hill.

As she was scrambling up, the tsunami hit the shore and tore through the island, destroying her home.

A total of 94 people on Ko Phra Thong were killed, including about 13 out of about 100 people on Lyall's side of the island.

"For me, the impact was also needing to go and cover the story, the biggest story of my life and I couldn't get off the island because there were no boats," she said.

"It took me a day to get off the island and then a lot of news pressure to go and find stories and file them."

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In the end, almost 230,000 people were killed across several countries by the Boxing Day tsunami, which remains the worst natural disaster of its kind in history.

Lyall was eventually called back to Australia but she found it difficult to return.

In Thailand, everyone had a shared understanding of what had happened and had been impacted in some way or another.

But in Australia, people had moved on. 

Lyall's relationship with her partner broke down, she was diagnosed with PTSD and she was forced to quit her job as a journalist. 

"I couldn't cover a story like that again and I didn't want to," she said. 

"I was running around chasing terrorists and world leaders and now I'm at some stupid press conference about a road being built or something so I felt very disillusioned for a long time."

Lyall went back to university and retrained as a psychologist.

"It's the same as journalism, only one is really confidential and the other is really not. But it's just meeting people and learning their stories," she said.

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She also joined the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma as deputy chief executive and worked to train journalists in trauma-safe reporting and support journalists exposed to trauma.

She's been returning to Thailand ever since and spent time there writing her book, Out of the Blue: Facing the Tsunami, detailing her experience.

"It's one of those things where… it's part of your life. It's part of your story," she said.

Ahead of yesterday's 20th anniversary, Lyall didn't think she would be any more affected by it than she would any other day. 

But she was surprised to find the event was very much alive for her.

READ MORE:

"Three or four weeks ago, I just started getting quite upset about it. I really feel like this 20-year one, for some reason, has hit me harder than any of the other ones," she said.

"I'm sort of surprising even me, just really aware of, thinking a lot about the people who died, and not just people I know, but people who I don't know.

"The 230,000 people, they're gone and barely thought about except for their closest people."

Lyall has been able to figure out and adjust to her new life and said she hasn't let the tsunami define her too much.

"Everyone has a tsunami," she said.

"At some point in everyone's life, there's something that's so dramatic, usually traumatic, that's life-changing."